BREAKING THE ICE: HOW TO SURVIVE FIRST DAY AT OFFICE

You are hired. That’s awesome! It’s your first day at a new job. You are happy, excited but nervous and grey. Starting a new job can be very much nerve wracking, thanks to sleepless nights and confusing expectations. With new faces in a completely new setting, you may have already suffered a nervous break-down before you’ve even started any work.

Should I ask anyone before I turn on my workstation? It’s already 1.30pm, should I go to the canteen? It’s already 5.00pm, can I go home? These first-day situations create confusion and add further nervousness and anxiety irrespective of your age or experience. You are stuck in the middle paralyzed between your thoughts. You don’t know what to do, how to react or whom to ask.

Well, adieu ‘good-bye’ to these. To be remembered for all the right reasons, here’s what you can do for a successful first day on a new job. You can survive the D-Day and make it go more smoothly by successfully implementing these 10 behaviors:

1. MAKE POSITIVE IMPRESSION:

You might be an amateur but don’t make a negative impression because it’s your first day at job. Today is the day you’ll be laying a strong foundation for your work-life. Everyone will be looking upon you, so these first few weeks are very important. Remember to keep it simple and easy instead of over-doing it. A bad first impression would cost you months or even years to undo it. Whether you want to portray yourself as a friendly and hardworking colleague or an unreliable and a laid-back guy, it all depends on you. You want to be remembered for all the right reasons.

2 . BE CONFIDENT :

You might feel nervous but that shouldn’t make you feel lowly confident. That nervousness won’t give you a second chance to make the right impression. Since you are stepping out of your comfort-zone into a totally different setting, adjust your confidence level in between. Don’t destroy anything out of your over-confidence. You should be happy because they liked you so; you are here at the job. First days are tough but your confidence should slip in and make you feel comfortable. Keep calm and stay confident!

3 . BE PUNCTUAL :

Don’t be late. You don’t want to be remembered as an employee who arrived late in his/her first day of job and make a false impression. Arrive on time. Have an idea of the office’s location. Leave your house an hour earlier because blaming the public transport is a lousy excuse. Unpunctuality is not tolerated at any cost. Remember, whether you drive, bike, bus or walk to your new job, it’s smart to test drive the route before that first important day [source: Huhman].

NO ONE EXPECTS YOU TO KNOW EVERYTHING ON THE VERY FIRST DAY. IF YOU DON’T KNOW HOW TO DO THINGS, JUST ASK YOUR COLLEAGUES OR YOUR SUPERVISOR.

4 . START SLOW :

No company expects perfection from you since day one. It takes time to adjust, learn the company, and learn the responsibilities of the new job you have. If you try to sprint at the very first stage then you’ll be more likely to make mistakes. Just take it slowly at a reasonable level allowing you to grow when you start. Pace yourselves slowly because fatigue kills your performance and productivity.

5 . WEAR THE RIGHT CLOTHES:

Just like people judge book by their covers, your boss and colleagues will judge you by your first-day attire so, dress appropriately for the big day. Don’t want to over-do yourself with some funky and trendy clothing. For example, you don’t want to walk into a banking industry with casual clothing. Your clothing and dressing appearance will attract attention so, you should dress to impress. Your dressing style should ooze out professionalism. Dress to flatter, not flirt.

6 . ASK QUESTIONS :

You’re new. No one expects you to know everything on the very first day. If you don’t know how to do things, just ask your colleagues or your supervisor. You may be ignorant about the office attire, working hours, salary, leave-policy and the general rules. For this, you should find a person to help you. You should go with an open mind, listen, and ask questions rather than being obnoxious.

7 . DON’T COMPLAIN :

You are a new face around the office. Your new-workers won’t be familiar with you so, doesn’t be an open-book on the very first day. You don’t want to create false negativity by complaining on the very first day. Remember your co-workers may get annoyed. Complaining is one of the worst thing and it won’t take you any far. Its fine to make suggestions but don’t be toxic.

PEOPLE WILL BE MORE OPEN AND WILLING TO ACCEPT YOU IF YOU EXPRESS GRATITUDE.

8 . EXPRESS GRATITUDE :

Be kind and appreciative to everyone. This will help you to amalgamate into the new culture. Greet your colleagues with a humble smile. A polite and firm handshake will do well. Your greetings should be pleasing. Keep your introduction short and simple. Make yourself easily approachable. You don’t want to scare people right away from the very first beginning. Show respect and seek feedback. People will be more open and willing to accept you if you express gratitude. Remember, never forget to say ‘Thank-You’!

9 . DO SOME BACKGROUND RESEARCH :

Take a note of your company beforehand. Read your company’s Web-site, its clients’ Web-sites and any recent news articles. You can search the internet about most of the things. You’re new, after all. This will also help you to understand the company’s expectations and management style.

With these tips in mind, you can now walk in there with a smile on your face and confident in yourself. Make a great impression and show them you definitely mean business.

TNM Team

"The strength of the team is each individual member. The strength of each member is the team." TNM is a premiere men’s magazine providing complete coverage of inspirational stories, fashion and culture from across Nepal. With its unique and powerful design, work from the finest photographer, spectacular writers and a pro- active Marketing team TNM reaches thousands of readers each month. We are team that believes in giving its readers a thought-provoking experience each and every month.

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